How to avoid gout

In Victorian times, gout afflicted only wealthy types who feasted heartily and drank heavily. Today it's an egalitarian epidemic, visiting excruciating joint pain on a growing number of men and women, thanks to the world's obesity epidemic — and to the fact that more people are eating foods, drinking beverages and taking medications that raise levels of uric acid in the bloodstream.  Here's how to avoid them and to sidestep another attack if you already have gout.

In the California study of 228 men, those who were leaner and fitter were less likely to develop gout than men who could claim only one of these healthy attributes. In the study, men who ran about four miles a day lowered their risk by 50 percent, but doing any form of aerobic exercise — such as brisk walking, swimming or biking — for any amount of time will help some. Likewise, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston report that losing just 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) can lower your odds of gout by 40 percent.

A daily serving of red meat raised the likelihood of developing gout by 45 percent in a study of 228 men conducted by researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Meanwhile, guys who ate the most seafood (including fatty fish) increased their risk by 51 percent in another study.

Why? Purines, found in foods (game, organ meats and seafood, including anchovies, sardines and scallops have especially high levels) and in our body tissues. When purines break down, blood levels of uric acid rise. Instead, try chicken or beans, and limit meat and seafood to 75 to 125 grams (three to four ounces) just a few times a week.

Sipping four or five small cups of coffee a day cut gout risk by 40 percent compared to rarely downing coffee, according to the same California study of 228 men. Decaffeinated coffee lowered risk, too, but tea had no effect, leading researchers to speculate that a strong antioxidant in coffee called chlorogenic acid is the ingredient at work.

Eating two servings of fruit a day cuts gout risk by 50 percent compared to eating less than a half serving a day, say researchers from the Berkeley National Laboratory. Fruit may simply be a sign of an overall healthy diet, or the fibre may help prevent gout. Eating up to 45 red, ripe Bing cherries for breakfast is said to be especially great.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, discovered that it can lower levels of uric acid in the blood by up to 30 points. If you already have gout, however, it may be smart to avoid fruits that are highest in fructose, such as pears, apples, dates, grapes and watermelon.

A little alcohol may protect your heart, but it also raises gout risk. In one study, men who drank two or more 350 millilitre (12 ounce) beers a day increased their odds 2.6 times more than those who abstained. But two small glasses of wine did not raise risk. Beer contains more purines than most wines.

Two servings of dairy a day can lower gout risk by about 45 percent — as long as it's low fat, researchers report. Proteins in dairy called casein and lactalbumin may protect against this painful problem by promoting the excretion of uric acid in your urine.